This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations

Authoring team

The main distinguishing features of gallstone ileus are small bowel obstruction with the presence of pneumobilia and a gallstone in the right iliac fossa on X-ray/CT (referred to as Rigler's triad): (1)

  • gas in the biliary tree:
    • 40% of cases

  • a gallstone in the intestine:
    • often at the ileo-caecal junction

  • small bowel obstruction

In practice, plain abdominal films demonstrate small bowel obstruction, ultrasound scanning shows biliary tract pathology and CT scanning then makes the final diagnosis.

Reference

  1. Shekhda KM, Abro AH, Gupta A, et al; Gallstone Ileus. Chonnam Med J. 2021 Jan;57(1):91-92.

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2025 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.